The modern standard of living is based in large part upon the presence of machines designed to perform a variety of tasks. Machines help extract natural resources from the earth, and machines help transform those raw materials into finished goods. Machines are used to process food, and to transport water for consumption by the population. Machines are employed for transportation and recreation. Other machines are used for cooking, cleaning and maintaining homes.
Such machines, regardless of their field of application, typically involve component parts which are assembled together and which, during operation of the machine, move with respect to one another. Where two moving parts contact one another, friction exists and heat builds up. On one hand, such heat decreases the efficiency of the machine while, on the other hand, excess heat can deteriorate the machine and/or destroy its functionality. The amount of heat, of course, depends upon the coefficient of friction between the moving parts as well as the force of contact between them.
It is well known to try to reduce friction between two moving parts by reducing the coefficient of friction between them. Commonly, this is accomplished by a lubricating material whether it be a permanent lubricious coating or a transient lubricating fluid. It is known to provide certain machines with dynamic lubrication systems. In such systems, a lubricating fluid reservoir is provided and, during operation of the machine, the lubricating medium is circulated through the machine so as to provide a ready source of lubricating fluid to the moving parts. Often, a filter is provided as a component of such lubricating systems so that the lubricating fluid is passed through the filter to remove unwanted contaminants, especially particulate material, that could damage the contacting surfaces of the parts which are being lubricated. Moreover, such systems typically rely on supplying the lubricating fluid within as prescribed pressure range.
An example of such a machine is the internal combustion engine that remains the dominant power plant for motorized transportation. In such systems, the combustion of fuel in cylinders reciprocates a piston head so that the energy released may be transferred to an output through a desired mechanical linkage. The reciprocating cycle of the piston head within the cylinder can occur many thousands of times per minute. While some internal combustion engines rely on other techniques to lubricate the sliding surfaces of the piston head in the cylinder as well as other moving parts in the engine, many such engines employ dynamic lubrication as a subsystem thereof.
Since the health of these engines depends, in part, upon the proper functioning of the dynamic lubrication system, the monitoring of parameters associated with the lubrication and the diagnostic testing of those parameters plays an important part in the overall maintenance of the machine. One of the parameters commonly monitored and/or periodically measured is the pressure of the lubricating fluid during operation of the engine. Since oil is a typical lubricating fluid, this parameter is often referred to as “oil pressure”. Some engines are provided with a real time oil pressure gauge that provides an ongoing readout of instantaneous oil pressure. However, many engines are not provided with such a gauge but rely on warning lights when oil pressure drops below a threshold value. Regardless of such real time monitoring, it is often desirable, in a diagnostic procedure, to perform an oil pressure check to verify the accuracy of the monitoring gauges or to identify other performance issues relating to the engine.
The existing diagnostic approach to testing oil pressure involves accessing the lubricating fluid during operation of the machine. A typical procedure involves removing the oil filter and thereafter threadably mating a cup-shaped cover to the mounting hole of the oil filter. This cover accesses the oil flow in the engine through the inlet port associated with the filter mount, but seals the remaining ports of the filter to prevent leakage. Adapters are provided so that the cover may mount to differently sized openings or where the opening have different thread pitches, depending upon the particular engine in question. An oil pressure gauge may then be connected to the adapter so as to read the oil pressure.
Another technique is to use an oil galley access on the engine block. Typically, the oil galley access is a threaded opening into the oil environment and communicates with the engine oil flow so that an oil pressure sending unit may be threadably mounted therein. This oil pressure sending unit, of course, is the detector that signals, for example, an oil pressure gauge on a vehicle dashboard. In order to use an oil galley access, the oil pressure-sending unit is removed, and an adapter is mounted into the access hole. The oil pressure gauge is then connected to this adapter.
These techniques both have drawbacks. For example, it is necessary to have a variety of adapters for the cup-shaped cover plate in order to match different sizes and pitches of the oil filter openings. Further, these cup-shaped cover plates do not have filtering capability so that, if contaminants are present, they may be passed through and into the engine thereby creating the risk of damage to the engine. In the case of utilization of the oil galley access, the oil galley access may be in a location on the engine block that it is difficult to reach. Indeed, in order to remove the oil pressure sending unit so that an adapter may be threaded into the galley access, other accessories of the engine, such as power steering and the like, may need to removed. This process can be exceedingly time consuming and expensive.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simplified device and method for obtaining a quick and reliable oil pressure reading. There is a need for a device which may operate with a variety of different oil filters without the need for complicated adapters. There is a further need for an oil pressure testing device and method that may be simply and quickly implemented with a minimum of effort. The present invention is directed to meeting these needs.